Five Football Players Named to All-New England Team

Photo courtesy of Hunter Martin

Dec 08, 2014

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – After helping Harvard complete a perfect 10-0 season and winning its second-straight Ivy League title, five Crimson football players have been named to the New England Football Writers Division I All-New England team.

Harvard, which tied Boston College with the most selections, cruised to a 7-0 mark in league play, capped with a 31-24 victory over Yale in The Game.

The All-New England team will be honored at the New England Football Writers Captains and Awards Banquet on Thursday, December 11 at 6 p.m., at the Montvale Plaza, in Stoneham, Mass. People interested in attending should contact Dick Lipe at Bentley University at 781-891-2334.

On the defensive side of the ball, Hodges, who hails from Atlanta, Georgia, will graduate as Harvard's career sack leader with 27.0. A three-time All-Ivy first-team honoree, Hodges was last season's recipient of the the Asa S. Bushnell Cup as Ivy Defensive Player of the Year, and is a finalist again this season. Hodges is also this year's winner of the George "Bulger" Lowe Award, presented to the top defensive player in New England. He played in all 10 games this fall and recorded an Ivy League-best 8.5 sacks. He finished the year with 26 tackles and 10.0 stops for a loss, including 2.0 sacks in the win over Yale in The Game.

Hayes, Harvard's 141st captain, is also a three-time All-Ivy League choice, finishing the season with 45 tackles. Against Yale, Hayes, a native of Tucker, Georgia, recorded a Harvard season-high 13 stops in the Crimson's 31-24 victory at Harvard Stadium.

Easton, a native of Lenoir, North Carolina, started all 10 games this season and helped Harvard rank among the nation's best in several statistical categories, including 15th in rushing offense (230.5 yards per game) and 19th in completion percentage (.643). Easton was also a two-time All-Ivy League pick.

Stanton, a two-time All-Ivy honoree, rushed for 990 yards and 11 touchdowns this season, moving to fourth in school history with 27 career rushing touchdowns. He ranked second in the Ancient Eight in rushing yards, despite missing two games because of injury. A product of Kenner, Louisiana, Stanton averaged 123.8 yards per game overall and enjoyed a career-day at Penn Nov. 15, running for a career-best 235 yards and three TDs. The 235 yards marked the third-most in a game in school history.

Fischer, who hails from Diamond Bar, California, had 55 catches for 677 yards and four touchdowns. His 55 catches were sixth most in a season in school history, and he now ranks 13th in program history with 87 catches for 1,026.yards. Fischer, an All-Ivy League team choice, scored two touchdowns against Yale, including the game-winner with 55 seconds left. Fischer, who also handled much of the kick and punt return duties, averaged 129.8 all-purpose yards per game, 23.7 yards per kick return and 9.1 yards per punt return.

Harvard established a new program record by defeating Yale for the eighth-straight season. In addition, the Crimson continues to carry the nation's best record in the FCS since 2001, going 114-25 (.820), which also stands tied for second in all of Division I during the same timeframe. Harvard has won seven or more games in 14-straight seasons, a program record and has scored in 168-consecutive games, establishing a new Ivy record.